Benders will be benders
by luna-lovegood91
Summary: I tried to come up with a title that wasn't overly used. A crossover of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Hunger Games.  There's no crossover category for the two . Katara and Aang are from district 12, and must compete in the hunger games. Who will win?
1. The Reaping

****Authors Note** I am boss at authors notes, you know that? Anyway, I got the idea for this fic from a dream I had. It's definitely a crossover, and an AU. It's hunger games-esque, but the story WON'T be the same as Katniss/Peeta/everyone else. I don't want to do one of those. Aang and Katara are from the same district though. Personality wise? Well, Aang has to be able to kill people, or he'd die in like, 2 seconds. That's about the only difference in personality.**

**Special thanks to .com for proofreading!**

**Rated M for gore and language, and heck I dunno what future chapters will bring, so it's precautionary too. Enjoy!**

***I am not making any profit off of this story***

Chapter One: Reaping Day.

The stage set up in the main square was an ominous fixture, with the makeshift screen rising high above it and the clear bowls with hundreds of slips in them. About ten of those slips held Katara's name, and just one of them, her younger sister's. Two black chairs sat near the back. Rigid, hard, and unforgiving for the two tributes who would soon be the district's icons.

Center stage held a polished microphone, designed to project a voice over a wide and expansive area. So the speaker's voice would be heard loud and clear. So no word would go unheard.

Ropes were strung up near the stage, in large boxes, one box read "Girls", the other "Boys" Slowly, they were filling up. Children as young as twelve and as old as eighteen filled up the boxes, while the small children and older citizens lined the street. The Twelve year olds stood in front, and eighteen year olds stood in back.

Usually, when crowds assemble, the noise grows deafening. But today, the quiet was louder than any voiced chaos the district had ever seen. And then one lone body climbed the steps to the stage, standing in front of the microphone with a smile plastered on her face. Her hair was the brightest pink Katara had ever seen, and she had a red swirling tattoo starting at the corner of her eye and going down her temple, jaw, and stopping at her collar bone. She had on giant earrings that brushed her shoulders, and her outfit caught the sun and stung their eyes every time she moved.

Katara kissed her sister on the forehead and pushed her up to the twelve year olds before turning and walking to her own designated area. Katara looked up to the stage with her blue eyes unblinking, waiting for the woman to speak.

"Welcome, all, to the reaping. I'm sure you're all excited to see who the tributes for district twelve will be this year!" Her cheerfulness was met with complete silence. She didn't seem to notice, however, and pressed on. "As you all know, each year, two tributes are selected from each district to participate in The Hunger Games. As a tribute, you become a symbol for your district. A hero, of some sorts." She flashed her pearly white smile before raising a white gloved hand to the audience. "The selection of participants is completely random, drawn by my hand alone!"

Katara looked around. All the expressions matched her own. Sad, gloomy, scared, and desperate. But there was nothing they could do to stop this. The Hunger Games wasn't something they had control of.

"I will first select the female tribute." Pulling off her glove with an elaborate and completely unnecessary flare, she dipped her hand into the clear bowl. There was a collective intake of breath as the entire district held it, waiting to see what family would be in despair this year. What family would be uprooted?

"The female tribute for district twelve is… Katara Brooks." Hundreds of faces turned to look at Katara, and suddenly she felt numb. Small and weak, her vision spun and she had to grip the arm of the girl standing next to her.

"Go!" The girl whispered, pushing her forward. Katara's throat tightened, and the sunlight seemed entirely too bright. Bile rose high in her throat, but she swallowed it back, urging her legs to move. Her eyes burned with the threat of tears, and one slipped silently down her cheek. She brushed it away, knowing she had to be strong. Not only for herself, but for her younger sister, her mom, and her friends.

"Katara Brooks? Come up here, sweetie." Katara finally collected a breath and stepped forward, slowly making her way to the stage. She climbed the steps, feeling dizzy and confused, but managed to shake the woman's hand and sit down in her seat. Faces blurred together, and tears once again threatened to run down her face, but she sat rigid in her seat, waiting to see who else would be representing district 12 this year.

"Alright now, calm down." The woman smiled her bright smile over the already completely calm crowd. Only people in the capitol really got excited about being chosen as a tribute. "Now, for the male tribute." She plunked her hand into the clear bowl labeled "Guys" and dug deep into the bowl. Selecting a piece of paper finally, she held it over her head as she walked back to the microphone and smoothed it out. "Your male tribute this year is Aang Milone." Katara's eyes snapped to the young boy. He was younger than she was, about two years, but his face showed he was ready. His eyes narrowed and a grim determination set over his features. He squeezed someone's hand before walking up to the stage. His eyes met hers- a steel grey- before he turned and sat in his own seat a few feet away.

Katara had seen him around before. Usually he was laughing and goofing around, and she never really took him seriously. He also had these weird tattoos running down his arms and legs that she couldn't quite figure out. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and saw that he was sitting tall and proud, his eyes glistening with what she knew were tears.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your tributes for the seventy fourth annual Hunger Games!" The woman swept her arm back, signaling Aang and Katara to stand up. They did so, and Katara forced herself to look at the clear blue sky instead of the faces below. What she would do to be a bird right now. Flying high and free, not having to worry about districts, or poverty, or the Hunger Games. Just flying and survival. "May the odds be ever in your favor!"

"Oh, just look at you two!" The woman closed the door behind her after releasing the crowd, announcing the families of the tributes would get their final good bye in a short while, and ushering the two tributes into a small secluded room. "So young. So…beautiful." Her hand caressed Katara's cheek, and Katara was able to get a glimpse of the many rings that adorned her hands. "You know, that's a good thing, right?" The two tributes were silent. "The public will feel for you two. You have better chances of getting sponsors!" She flashed her telltale grin again with no response. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Lin. I'll be traveling with you and helping you prepare for the arena." She pulled up two comfy looking chairs, which Katara and Aang sat in almost hesitantly.

"You're also going to meet your mentor today, children. I suppose you've heard of Chong?" Both Aang and Katara groaned audibly, then Aang spoke for the first time.

"Chong? You mean the hippy who never pays attention?" Lin gave him a stern look before sitting down herself and crossing her legs.

"Chong won, you know. When he himself was in the Hunger Games!"

"Can't we have someone else though?" Katara found herself asking.

"Chong was chosen for a reason! He is highly intelligent, and won the games in an astounding and effective manner. You two should be honored." Lin stood up. "Now, come with me. Your families are waiting for you." Katara glanced over at Aang, and caught his eye. He shrugged and followed Lin out of the room, with Katara trailing right after him.

"Katara, your family is in here." Lin opened the door and let Katara through, then closed it quickly to give her privacy. Katara looked at the people before her. Her mother and father, standing tall and trying to be brave for their little girl, and her younger siblings. She tried to smile, to brush all this off as nothing, but she couldn't. The tears she had been holding back came spilling down, and a sob shook her entire body. Arms were suddenly enclosing her, and she took the sensation in as much as she could. She could feel her father's strong arms holding the entire family together. Her mother's soft skin against her cheek, and her twin brother and sister's small and frail arms, encircling her legs. They stayed that for a few moments before pulling away.

"Katara, I have something for you." Katara's mother pulled something out of her coat, and placed it in Katara's hand.

"Your necklace?" Katara's mother nodded, reaching up to put the necklace around her daughter's neck. "But mom-"

"Whenever you feel weak in that arena, just touch that and think about your family rooting for you back home. We'll be here, waiting."

The door was thrust open and a rough voice muttered "Time's up." That was it? That was all she had? She barely had time to give them all one last hug and kiss before they were ushered out and the door slammed shut. Katara slumped down onto the rug, unsure of what to do and how she was feeling. Before she could really make out her thoughts, however, the door swung open again and there Lin stood, with that awful smile on her face.

"Time to go! The train is waiting."

"T-train?"

"Yes dear. Haven't you watched the previous games? We take a train to the capitol." She was lifting Katara up off the rug and out of the room. They opened Aang's door to find him standing with his head bowed and his hands clasped into fists by his side.

"Aang dear, time to go." Katara expected Aang to be crying, but when he lifted his head, his eyes were dry. He nodded once and followed them out into the hallway. Lin walked at a brisk pace, turning down hallway after hallway until they got to a set of double metal doors. She pushed them open, and there stood a train, glistening in the sunlight, and mechanical doors waiting open for the passengers to board.

"Go on, go on!" Lin pushed them forward, and Aang stepped back, motioning for Katara to go first. She climbed onto the train, trying to adjust her eyesight to the dim room. Aang boarded, and so did Lin, then the train gave a giant lurch and they were off.

Katara turned quickly to look out the window, getting her last glimpse of district 12. All she saw was her and Aang's families standing on the platform. Their arms were raised, waving goodbye as the train picked up speed. Katara's eyes stayed on them until their forms disappeared from view.


	2. Train Ride

***Heyyy look, another author's note! So um, sorry this hasn't been updated in a while, I wanted it to be up a little faster but yeah. That didn't happen SO. Here it finally is, and I'm thinking about going back and editing the crap out of both of these. But for now, it's up thanks to Bill (.com) because he read over it and gave me some constructive criticism.**

…**That I didn't take. He told me to add more to a certain part of the story. But when I looked over it, I realized I wanted to do something with that later on in the story. Kinda like a heart to heart moment to get the characters closer, ya feel me? **

**Anywho, here it is, although it's subject to change. Enjoy!***

Chapter Two: The Train Ride

Once Katara's eyes adjusted, she was able to see the interior of the train. Well, the small room they had been shoved into. Her mouth opened slightly in wonderment. The interior of the small room was nicer than anything she'd ever seen. This was clearly a capitol train. The room was a mud room of sorts, and had a giant ornate rug covering the floor. A door on the left and a door on the right lead to who knew what. A small table near the rear of the room held a bowl of delicious looking fruit, fruit that was rare to district twelve and highly expensive therefore. Above the table was a huge window, where lush green trees passed by at high speeds.

One of the doors opened, and in stepped Chong, wearing his usual goofy grin, and dressed in the most outrageous clothes Katara had ever seen. He waved at the two before practically dancing into the center of the room, sticking out his hand.

"Hey there young tributes! I'm your mentor this year!" Neither Aang nor Katara reached out to take his hand, so he took theirs instead, one in each of his hands, and shook them roughly. "You ready to kick some butt this year?" He made a wild slicing motion with his arm. "Sure you are. You just don't know it yet."

"You'll have more time to talk later. I need to get these two to their rooms, Chong, so they can change." Lin pushed the two towards the door opposite the one Chong came in. "Lunch is in a half hour. You guys will be able to talk then."

"Alrighty then. I'll just be in my room." He turned on his heel and began whistling, walking through the door.

"Come on now!" The next compartment was even nicer than the first. How that was possible, Katara didn't know. But she barely had time to take in the carpeted floor and dark mahogany walls lined with doors before they were in the next compartment. Only two doors were in here, and already the golden nameplates had their names etched into them.

"Go on in, change into the clothes set out for you on the bed, and relax for a bit. You'll get a call when dinner is ready." Lin flashed them one of her trademark smiles before passing into yet another compartment. Aang looked at his door, eyeing the nameplate. His silver eyes then passed over the door, and landed on Katara.

"It's funny, isn't it?"

"What?"

"After years of living in near poverty, we get all this?" Katara cracked a smile.

"You've gotta treat your tributes like royalty. After all, most of them will be dead by the end of the summer." Aang's smile faltered for a second, but then it was back. God, he had white teeth.

"I guess that's true." His hand found the doorknob and he opened his door. She saw his eyes widen before he turned to her, waved, and disappeared inside. Katara opened her own door, and her eyes widened as well. She stepped in, closed the door behind her, and looked around. Two large windows showed the speeding landscape. She barely got a look at a lake before it was gone. A large, king sized bed stood in the middle, adorned with a white down comforter and about ten pillows. An outfit was laid out in the middle- a blue top that looked too short, and white pants. A door stood ajar, and she saw her own private bathroom, complete with a tub and a shower with about 500 different buttons. She decided a shower would do her good, stripped down, and stood inside.

The buttons all had different functions. Some were for water pressure, some were for music, lighting. Some had different scented shampoos and body washes, and some made the water smell a certain way. She chose a medium water pressure with a lilac scent, low lighting to calm her down and help her think, and strawberry scented shampoo and body wash.

She allowed herself to soak up the luxuries, thinking and coming to terms with what was actually happening. She had to have a strategy. Hopefully Chong would be smart enough to help her come up with one. She had been too young to remember the games he was in, or not born yet. He probably won by walking around avoiding everyone and letting them kill each other. Even that was kinda brilliant anyway…

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, finished washing her hair, and stepped out of the shower. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and dressed quickly. As soon as she finished, there was a knock on her door.

"Lunch is ready dear!" Lin's cheerful voice echoed through the door. She heard her knock on Aang's door. Katara slid out of her room, finding Lin standing there, smiling as usual.

"Look how clean you are! Took advantage of that shower, I see!" Aang stepped out as well, wearing almost the exact same outfit as she was, only his shirt covered his midsection. His dark hair looked slightly wet too. "You both took advantage of it! Well, that's what it's there for! Now, come eat. The food was just put on the table, and If we wait too long, it'll become cold!" She waved her hand, signaling them to follow, and lead them through the door she had passed through earlier.

"This is the entertainment room. Unfortunately, you two won't have much time to enjoy it. You have much to do before we reach the capitol!" Katara could only stare at the larger than life television. A plush couch surrounded the television, and on another ornate table stood another bowl of fresh fruit. Katara wanted to pick one up and take a huge bite out of it, but she restrained herself.

"Here." Aang saw her eyeing the bowl, and with a flick of his wrist, two apples came soaring across the room and into his hands. Katara gasped, grabbing the apple from him.

"You're an airbender!" Aang grinned, taking a bite of the apple and wiping his mouth.

"Yep. And you're a waterbender, right?" Katara stared at Aang in shock. How had he known? In the districts, bending was forbidden unless you held a position that needed it. Or, you were going to the arena.

"Y…yeah." She took a small bite of her apple and followed Lin and Aang into the dinner compartment.

There, Chong sat at the table, already spooning soup into his mouth and picking up a bread roll.

"Hey, hey, tributes! This food is delicious, you should enjoy it with me!" Aang and Katara sat down on opposite sides, facing each other. Lin sat down at the head of the table.

"Go ahead and eat! All this food was made specially for you!"

"Yeah, young ones, it's fantastic stuff. Try the soup."


End file.
